Upon the Crimson Tide
by Ash Gray Kitsune
Summary: There's really only one fate for a Jaeger pilot; die making a difference. Tony, on the other hand, didn't get that chance...so he's gonna live making one. Loss/grief/major character death revisited; further warnings listed at the beginning of each chapter where needed. StevexTony, further pairings down the road.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pacific Rim or The Avengers. I just like mixing the sandboxes together.**

**Upon The Crimson Tide**

It was the glow that woke him, and Tony rolled quietly out of the bed, glancing over before relaxing completely. Steve was passed out cold, arms and back still bandaged from his last fight, and Tony sighed, easing onto shaky legs as he made his way out of the bedroom. He snagged a long black shirt out of the hamper and tossed it on, his tension easing as the spooky blue light vanished under thick cotton. He padded out into the second half of the little apartment and took a little comfort at the blossom of light over the stove top, the kettle and a cup left out, just as usual.

He took down a worn little tea bag and set the kettle to boil, settling back against the counter as he turned his attention back to his thoughts, loathe as he was to focus on those right now. As the curling steam rose up, brown eyes focused inward and he scrubbed a rough, grease-stained hand over his beard, making a mental note to shave in the morning before he went down to the labs. But those thoughts took a back seat to the memory rising up again, and he closed his eyes, waiting for the wave to crest-

_"SIR!" Jarvis' voice filled the cockpit and Tony spat out blood, his visor cracked and his whole body a tangle of ache and vibrant pain. He was on the wrong side, always the wrong side, always the bad side, he'd taken it because Jarvis always got it, and he was nothing if not an adaptable pilot...Sea water gushed in from the crack in the Cold Iron's faceplate and he let his head fall back, mind spinning. They were breached._

_"Jarv...'scape pods..." _

_"Not yet, not yet..." A flash of silver, and his co-pilot was there, blond hair soaked, visor torn away, but he wasn't hurt, wasn't even scratched, and Tony could have wept with relief, but he was...he was..._

_He was trying to undo Tony's harness. _

_"Jarv, what...go!" His protests were weak, he knew that, but this chest wound, all these wounds, they'd kill him if the kaiju didn't anyway, and judging by the sudden gush of water pouring in now, the kaiju wasn't looking to wait. And Jarvis wasn't hurt, wasn't even damaged by the drift link, and he had to go. Go NOW."Jarvis, I order you to leave me!"_

_"I'm sorry, sir, I'm afraid I can't do that." Hysterical laughter bubbled up, and Tony weakly tried to push at his hands._

_"Can't...fuck...can't fucking quote Hal 9000 at me, you know I'll fucking..."_

_"I'm sorry, sir, I'm afraid I can't do that." _

_"Jarvis..."_

_"I'm sorry, sir, I'm afraid I can't do that."_

_"JARVIS!" _

Tony came back to himself with a choked off sob, and just barely fumbled the whistling kettle over to the other burner, shakily turning the gas off as he did so. He stood there, body shaking so badly that had any other seen him...no. He bit off the rising grief and forced himself upright, taking as deep a breath as he could...and he felt the pull of the arc reactor in his chest. That brought his stony facade crashing down, and he dropped quietly to his knees, sobbing into his sleeve, desperate to keep Steve from hearing anything. He couldn't...he couldn't...he couldn't deal with those baby blue eyes right now. Especially as tired and hurt as he was, lying there in a morphine-aided sleep.

Besides...it had been five years. Well..._five years, two months, nineteen days, ten hours. And a fuckin' partridge in a pear tree._ Five years, three different arc reactors implanted in his chest cavity to power the electromagnet keeping the shards of his own armor from slicing his heart into Julienne fries, and one promotion later, and he was still being trapped in the memories. And though Tony had been made Jaegermeister after his father's death shortly after the Cold Iron's demise and Jarvis' passing, it was...not a position he'd been expected to survive long. Especially not with the ticking time bomb in his chest. And in his mind. The link had broken when Jarvis had died, and...he flinched from that, fighting back up to the surface.

He'd endured, though, with the makeshift, fucked up family of the LA Shatterdome, under Marshal Fury's guidance, and in spite of the doubters, he'd made it this long on his own genius and the Jaeger program. They were his babies even as a pilot; he'd worked hard as a pilot, and twice as hard as an engineer...and then. The Mandarin. That was the kaiju who'd ripped his beloved Jaeger and best friend to pieces around him, one of two that had gotten away, back to the breach...He poured the tea, calmer now, though his hand still shook more than he cared to admit. He brushed away the tears and sniffled, then took his chamomile and a drop of honey and settled on the couch, sighing.

"I miss coffee."

"As do I, sir." Tony grinned at that, and leaned his head back towards his laptop, left open all night, as usual. "I apologize, sir..."

"No need to. How're the Jaegers doing?"

"My data indicates that Black Hawk, Arc Shield, and Fire Storm are fully operational, and Rogue Gambit and Marvel Machine will be within the next day."

"Excellent. Who's running the night shift tonight?"

"Mr. Grimm, sir."

"Ah, good. Ben'll keep the kids alright. How's that new code patch I put together running for you?"

"Exemplary as always, sir, and I am much more stable now as a result. As such, might I run diagnostics on the current reactor?" Tony smiled and reached back to snag the laptop and the cables, hooking himself up and propping his feet up on the coffee table. He steadfastly ignored the cool surface of the glass as he set the last feed in place and dropped his shirt back down hastily, facing the webcam as he took a swig of tea. That unfortunate drink choice was actually, technically a prescription; McCoy and Fury had nearly strangled him when they'd found out his arrhythmia was from the ten or so pots of coffee he consumed daily. As such, the Marshal and his resident head doctor had broken it down to two choices; tea and juices, or cold turkey with water only. Tony had to admit, he was weak, and Gatorade could be easily manufactured on site at the dome.

"Fire away, Jarv, no news is good news."

"Indeed sir...ah." Tony raised an eyebrow and surfed through his Jaeger designs, sighing over a few of the plasma relays for Fire Storm's cannons.

"What's 'ah'?"

"Your pacemaker has seemed to stabilized with this new reactor."

"Thank God. Anything else?"

"The vibranium core is performing at full capacity, the vents are as well, and power output is steady. I believe this may be our best creation yet."

"You would know, you did the calculations. Alright, good; I can give Steve and Medical the news in the morning. And the magnet? How's it holding up?"

"...That is a little trickier, I am afraid. I cannot get a clear reading of it, sir." Tony gave a little shrug and checked the feeds, smiling as Ben handed out the late night snacks. They technically weren't allowed them, but Tony made it clear that if Engineering and K-science had to pull all-nighters, they'd at least be given an extra ration. Only certain pilots had protested and if he were honest with himself...well...Tony sighed.

"That's fine, Jarvis. I'll talk to Henry and Loki in the morning about it; they might be able to get me into a scanner that doesn't rip the magnet out of my body."

"...I do not approve of Doctor Pym's methods."

"Nobody does, except Hank. And his head's too big to see everyone else." A soft laugh sounded from the speakers, and Tony had to grin, setting his mug aside and leaning forward, cupping the laptop a little closer than usual.

"I miss you, Jarv."

"I miss you too, sir. And yet, I do not regret your choice."

"To make you into a computer?"

"To give me new life. You could have simply made me a voice on repeat; instead, you uploaded every moment within the drift you could scrape away. I...am thankful for that, sir." Tony smiled, and touched his forehead to the webcam, feeling the ebb of grief fade away, just a little.

"I don't leave my co-pilot behind."

"You never did, sir."

* * *

Steve woke to the soft sound of voices in the living room, and wincing, he eased out of the bed, fighting the urge to scratch his wounds bloody. He hated the bandages, but he knew his stitches were bad; the look in Tony's eyes when he'd come in...he winced, this time in guilt, and made his way carefully into the living room, unsurprised to see Tony tapping away on his tablet while the laptop sat open.

"Good morning, Tony, Jarvis."

"Good morning, Master Rogers!" Jarvis sounded so happy that Steve felt a smile form, and he leaned down to kiss Tony on the cheek, nuzzling his stubble. Tony, to his joy, nuzzled right back, brown eyes dancing.

"You both look happy this morning."

"We've got reason to be. Here, let me get you a plate." Steve's eyebrows shot up as Tony pulled down the battered set of plates and a couple forks, and from the microwave came bacon, eggs, and a few misshapen pancakes. "What?"

"...You never cook."

"Jarvis helped."

"Tony, if this is about..."

"The reactor's working." The words seemed to blurt out, and Steve stopped, eyes widening.

"What...?" Tony grinned, bright and happy and brilliant, and Steve crossed the linoleum, hugging him gently. "Really?"

"Really really." He replied from somewhere in the vicinity of his chest, and Steve laughed.

"That's great, Tony! That's amazing, congrats!"

"I'm feelin' pretty awesome about it, yeah. So, breakfast, Rogers, I'm starving." He slapped Steve's ass lightly, grinning at the resultant blush, and Steve just shook his head, smile stretching so wide he could almost feel his face hurting. It'd been too long since they'd had any good news like that...and damn, to say he was impressed was an understatement. Tony had spent the time since the incident laser-focused on the arc reactor projects, from integrating them into the Jaegers to make them lighter, stronger, faster, all to make the miniature one in his chest better, stronger, safer. He still shuddered about the palladium cores, and the poisoning not even a year ago...

"Then I'll take this as a sign, because you haven't made me breakfast since we started dating."

"Hey, I made it, like, two years ago!"

"At eight pm, Tony." But the banter was light, teasing, and he had a warm engineer snuggling into his side, and so Steve really didn't mind all that much...besides. He smiled as he flipped on the news and let Tony bitch about the 'designer Jaegers' for the rich and fabulous. He had all he'd ever desired, right here in this room.

* * *

"Well, I must say, I am impressed, Stark." Loki's warm tenor matched Henry's basso perfectly, and Tony kicked his legs like a little kid, grinning up at them both. The trauma medic and his superior had been the first ones on scene when Cold Iron had gone to shore, and both had been with Tony throughout the many incarnations up to this current reactor. He trusted them over Pym any day of the week, for all that Loki hadn't been much more than a nurse at a hospital before, and McCoy a political figure after his tenure as a physician. They didn't care much for Hank either, and Loki paced around him, black hair pulled into a long braid. "Very impressed. Your vitals are excellent."

"Thanks; I'm pretty damned proud myself. The only thing I need to check and can't, though, is the magnet." Henry stepped up and peered at the bared reactor, nudging his glasses back into place with one huge hand.

"Fair enough, I do think that's a job better suited for us. Loki, if you would mind scrubbing up? Your hands are far finer than mine for such delicate work."

"Not in the least, doctor. You know the drill, lay back, alright?" Tony nodded, and did just that, smiling as Henry pulled a warm blanket over his legs.

"I'm alright, doc."

"Leave me my particularities. I know you get chilled during these procedures."

"Only because of the ambient temp."

"And the fact that the reactor gives you a measure of warmth." Loki replied, hands scrubbed bare and sleeves rolled up. "Keep the blanket, I'd rather you warm than explain to your Ranger why you're huddled near the relays again."

"That was my bad, okay?" Loki rolled his eyes and unscrewed the reactor from it's housing.

"Hold this, and still. Steven is not the kind of man I find myself interested in making angry."

"Yeah, yeah..." Tony held himself still as Loki reached in, green eyes narrowed in concentration as he carefully cleaned away the plasma discharge and some pus around the magnet.

"So far, so good, Stark, I'm not seeing much other than some minor irritation...mmm...alright. Tissue is healthy, magnet is holding up quite well, and the reactor walls look sound. Excellent work, if I say so myself." Tony rolled his eyes and waited as Loki spun the reactor back into place and sat back, washing his hands again. "Excellent work. Now, sit here for a bit while the reactor and your heart match up again, and then you're free to go."

"McCoy?"

"He's the lead on this one, Tony. He's been in and out of your chest for years now, he knows its workings almost better than you. I'm just supervising and taking notes." Tony looked serious for a moment, drawing both their attentions.

"Will you guys use this for others hurt the same way?" Loki nodded, green eyes solemn.

"If we can save them, we shall. You've given hope to many of the others in the 'dome who fear that a pilot might not come home...or worse, might come home, only to die horribly. So, yes. I'd rather see them with a built-in nightlight than in the morgue." Tony winced at that, but nodded.

"Deal. Hopefully, though, I can figure out a way to keep pilots even safer..." Henry smiled and clasped his shoulder, helping Tony sit upright and meeting his eyes.

"Let's be honest; you already have. You've redesigned the Jaegers to the point where they can take direct hits, several times, and at least get home. You've revolutionized the power sources, the weapons, the shields...you saved all of us, time and time again, with those redesigns. And you've passed them on, so others can use them. That, Tony...that's kept our pilots safe and alive and healthy." Tony's eyes shuttered, though, and he slid off the bed, going to his jeans.

"Steve still got hurt." Both physicians winced, and it was Loki who sighed.

"Yes. But that was no fault of yours; that was Bucky." Tony snorted, just a little, but his eyes were pensive, thinking. "Tony..."

"Yeah, I know. Hey...meet in the mess at supper tonight, alright? It's Peter's seventeenth birthday, and the kid's gotta be embarrassed at least a little." Henry chuckled at that and Loki flashed him a trickster's grin, and Tony relaxed, pulling his shirts on. "Thanks, guys..."

"Any time. C'mon, Henry, we've got to check on Barton's damned head."

"You'd think he'd learn to just stop jumping off of high places..."

* * *

"Hey, Stevie!" Steve tried not to wince as Bucky's hand came down hard on his back, and a glance over at Tony told him that the Jaegermeister was contemplating far worse fates for the dark-haired man laughing in Steve's ear. Tony did not like Bucky, and hadn't for years; Bucky thought Tony was hilarious but a dork, and reveled in reminding him of it every single time they talked. Or didn't talk; these days, it was Bucky babbling and Tony getting stone-faced, and Steve wondered if there was a cure for assholes. He loved his best friend, and his boyfriend, but some days...

"That's enough, Buck, my shoulder's still messed up." He and Tony had only been out of the apartment a little while today; they'd ended up celebrating multiple times in bed and out of it, and didn't get moving properly till almost two. Then there was Tony's self-made appointment for a couple hours and Steve's with Ororo to check his healing, and now they headed down the medbay halls to the long-term rooms, where Clint usually ended up, hand in hand and enjoying the soft solitude...until now.

"Ah, shit, sorry. So, what're you two lovebirds up and about doing? I thought it was 'Jaeger Time' all the time with pipsqueak over there." Steve sighed as he felt Tony bristle up next to him, and rubbed his face with his free hand, the other giving Tony's hand a squeeze.

"He's not that short, Bucky, and we were going to check on Clint and Tasha."

"Dude, Barton's fine, he's just being an ass as usual."

"Pot calling the kettle black..." Came Tony's mutter, and Steve hid a grin, swallowing the smile.

"Bucky... Look, we kinda want to be together for a bit, okay? Can you meet me for sparring later?" Bucky blinked between the two of them, then grinned and slapped Steve on the shoulder again, oblivious to the outright gasp the other man gave and Tony's sudden furious glare.

"Ahhhhhhh...I gotcha, big blue! Have fun~!" He grinned and jogged off, and Tony took a deep breath, calming himself down.

"...One day, I swear to god I will taze his ass. With Phil's taser."

"Phil might just beat you to it. I'm sorry..." Tony sighed and pulled him around, examining the shoulder.

"You don't need to be sorry. Here, let me see...I think he busted a few of your stitches, babe. C'mon, let's if Jane's available."

"Tony.."

"I'm not mad, Steve, I just...he really has no sense of others some days, does he? I know he protected you as a kid, but..."

"He's a bully."

"Kinda. A nice one, but a bully. But he's your best friend, and I know how much he helped you when I was still healing, so I'll tolerate him. For you." Steve chuckled weakly and let Tony lead him into Clint's room, where, as usual, Jane was restitching his head wound, much to Clint's hawk-faced chagrin. Natasha and Phil both stood over him, only faintly amused at his discomfort.

"Hey, Foster, I've got another big lug with no regard for his own personal safety." Jane snorted softly, but kept to her work.

"Hey!"

"Sit him on the other bed and clean him up, I'll be there in a tad." Tony just chuckled and began unwinding the bandages, wincing as the stitches came into light.

"...I lied, quite a few popped. Jesus, Barnes doesn't know his strength, does he?" Phil came over to help out, leaving Steve to match Clint with an annoyed glare, and Tony handed him his wad of bloodied gauze. "Tasha, can you get me some painkillers for him? This is gonna hurt like a bitch." She raised an eyebrow, stealing a glance and going rather cold.

"I see. Steve..." A soft sigh sounded, and Tony kissed the back of his neck, ruffling blonde hair.

"I know. He's...I dunno, he's getting cocky again. Like he used to be."

"Risky, you mean." That was Phil, and Steve winced. "Headstrong and so self-assured you want to smack him. Johnny's the same way right now; he doesn't seem to care much about others."

"He still cares..."

"No, he really doesn't." Clint's voice was rough and gravelly, still worn from all the shouting he'd done, and Tasha nodded once, eyes narrowed. Clint continued, rubbing a scar on one hand. "Steve, he outright bitched out Hill last night because she wanted to look into a new set of pilots for the Arc Shield. You know and I know that you're both having a harder time with the drift these days...Hell, even Tasha and I are. And we're getting older, slower, weaker...we can't take the hits we took when we were young."

"...He pries." Steve murmured, and Tony's head came up, eyes flashing.

"He _what_?" Steve sighed and turned, meeting those brown eyes guiltily.

"He...wants details. He's not content with the main drift, he wants to delve more. And that's why..."

"Why you took such a fucking nasty blow. Tell me you told Fury." The guilt was too much to hide and Steve tried to turn his eyes, wincing again as Tony swore, long and low and vicious. "Of course not. Steve..."

"Piloting is his life, Tony." Tony caught his chin and met his eyes, furious.

"It was mine too. And that fucking asshole is not going to take you away from me just because he wants to be a show off." Steve swallowed, large frame curling in on itself, and Phil sighed.

"...I'll talk to the Marshal. This cannot be left alone, Steve..."

"...He's gonna be so mad."

"Fuck him." Tony's eyes were blazing, and he pulled out his phone. "Thor? Take the Shield completely offline; I don't care if Barnes wants to play pilot in it, these are orders. Offline, an hour ago...alright. Thanks." He shut it, ignoring Steve's incredulous stare. "Phil..."

"Fury agrees." Coulson's eyes were icy, and he went back to his quiet call, and Natasha knelt next to Steve as Jane carefully set to work. Tony's fingers wove into Steve's as she brushed his bangs back, giving him a gentle smile, rare as it was from the Russian.

"Darling, this will hurt, but it is for the best. Why don't we all go down to the party early for Peter? He'd like that, I think." Steve swallowed and nodded, hand squeezing with each pass of the needle, and Tony tucked his head close, quiet.

"I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not..."

"I'm not either, Tony. I'm not either. I just..." He clasped Tony's hand in both of his, and the engineer nodded.

"...for that, I am sorry. I really am."

"...me too."

* * *

**Ahhhhh...Pacific Rim. And Avengers. Because reasons. I love this fic so far, and there will be MANY Marvel stars in it, so be aware. R&R always appreciated, pet, loved, and named George. Also, Jaegers. And Kaiju. Yup. Villians reborn as Kaiju. Yup indeedy.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers, nor do I own Pacific Rim.**

**Upon the Crimson Tide**

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Peter~, happy birthday tooooooo yooooooooou~!" Peter's head hit the table in a thud lost to the applause as Tony and Clint both drew out the last two notes obnoxiously, shit-eating grins plastered on their faces as they both stood on the table, work boots left on the floor at May's orders. Steve wasn't too sure that their socks were that much more hygienic, but he did Tony's laundry, and he knew Phil took care of Clint's, so that had to count for something, and May allowed it, so hell. He grinned and pulled Tony down finally, clapping a gentle hand on Peter's shoulder and drawing him back up.

"It's alright, Pete, those two don't have much to sing about these days." He murmured, and Peter just smiled, turning over the small box in his hand. There wasn't much for presents around here, but Wade had come through with Tony's orders off the black market a couple months ago, and Steve genuinely hoped that Peter would like what they'd gotten

"Mm, I understand. And as long as neither of them set up the damned karaoke machine, I'll be fine."

"Aw, you don't wanna listen to me 'n Tony singin'?" Clint's accent came out when he was around the rest of the misfits that made up the Shatterdome, instead of up in command, and Phil yanked the Iowan down with a sigh.

"Not when you're both drunk."

"Hey, that's so not fair, I can't drink anymore." Tony's voice was indignant, and Steve just rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Steve..."

"No alcohol." Natasha finished ruffling Peter's hair and giving him a hearty kiss, her voice stern, though a hint of a smile touched the Russian's usually stern face. "You know the rules."

"Romanov, you are not the woman to talk here." Clint rolled his eyes and mouthed 'zip it' while Ben sat down heavily down at the end of the table, a raised eyebrow his only expression.

"Aw, can it, Stark." Tony turned on Johnny like a ferret, arms crossing defensively.

"I've seen her drink vodka like water!"

"In Russia, vodka IS the water."

"Is that like in Mexico, the tequila's safer?"

"Oh my god, why do I know these people?" Peter groaned, and Bruce just leaned over the table to pat his hand.

"If it makes you feel any better, it only gets worse as they get older."

"Bruuuuuuuce!"

"No, no, you wanted to do K-Science, kiddo."

"Like it'd be any better with the Rangers!" Steve looked hurt as he passed over Peter's cupcake, the lone little confection all May could afford, and Peter sighed.

"Pete, you've upset the puppy." Natasha's voice was definitely hiding a smile, and Peter sighed, setting the cupcake aside.

"Aw, Steve, I'm sorry...You know I don't mean all the Rangers." Steve smiled a little, and Peter leaned over to him. "I mean it. You're the best of the best, Steve. Tony too." Tony flashed him a grin and Peter nodded, trying to make amends. "I mean it, Steve, you and Tony and Rhodey and Sue and Carol..."

"What about me?"

"Johnny, you have the tendency to be a dick."

"I'm your best friend!"

"Still a dick." Matt sighed and rolled his eyes, for all that they couldn't see anymore.

"Enough, boys. Can't we have a night of celebration? It's Peter's birthday, and Tony, isn't it your anniversary?" Tony chuckled and Steve went red, and Peter just grinned.

"Alright, a toast to the longest surviving couple in the Shatterdome!" Steve tried to hide his grin as Tony leaned back into his chest, wrapping an arm around his waist and hiding his face in familiar brown curls. "How long have you guys been together, anyway?" Tony mused for a long moment, then held up a hand.

"Okay, from the time we started dating, or from the time we moved in together?" May chuckled and Clint rolled his eyes.

"Dating, dude."

"Sixteen years." Eyes went wide around the table, and Tony looked smug, tangling a hand with Steve's and basking in the admiration from their family. The long wooden table held a lot of memories for all of them; technically, the pilots ate at a separate mess hall, but that had never stopped the Storm siblings, Rhodey, Carol, and Steve from eating in the larger one, surrounded by Engineering and K-Science and general crews. Steve had no idea when everyone picked this one, but...it matched them. Beaten and weathered and long since in need of a new coat of dark gray paint, he settled on the long bench, surveying his family. Peter and May sat next to the two of them, Peter savoring the chocolate while he could and sharing with his aunt, though she only took little nibbles. Across were Natasha, Clint, and Phil, Phil going over his paperwork while Clint hung over his shoulder, Natasha pressed to the archer's back, knitting while her Darcy held her yarn for her, the two of them speaking quiet Russian. Bruce and Pepper were to Phil's right, and proud as punch, the both of them. They'd sponsored Peter's internship under K-Science, rather impressively so, and Steve had to raise a toast to Pepper in awe.

Loki, Thor, and Jane were just to Darcy's left, all three of them talking of home and Jane and Thor's upcoming wedding. Henry sat with Rhodey and Carol down to Tony's left, and Steve shared a glance with the doctor, giving him a faint smile. McCoy looked curious, then smiled back, giving him a faint nod. Were it not for him and Loki...he gently squeezed Tony closer, not really caring if anyone call him on it. Just opposite the good doctor was the resident psychiatrist, Charles Xavier, and his proteges, Ororo and Jean, with two of his fellow pilots, Marie and Remy, sitting across from one another playing cards further down. Johnny, Sue, and Matt were all settled next to May, Matt's hand protectively on Sue's back even still. The lawyer didn't do well when Sue went out afield...Steve could understand that. He really could. Tony was the same now...

"Rogers, those thoughts are not going to get you laid later." Tony's voice was a low undercurrent in the conversations around him, and Steve bit back a chuckle. "I'm very serious, Steve, Steve, you better believe-"

"You are so gosh darn cute, Tony." Tony twisted in his arms like a cat, and Steve squeaked as he fell back, Tony faux-growling.

"I am not cute, Rogers!" Steve landed on the floor with an _oof, _arching his back up to keep the bad parts away and laughed weakly.

"Cute and short, Stark. Cute and short." Tony hissed like a tomcat and Clint zinged one of the hardtack biscuits at his ass, laughing wildly as Tony squawked.

"Twenty points!"

"Barton, do not mock the man who designs your Jaeger."

"Not mocking, keeping count." Steve burst into laughter at that, and finally, Tony joined him, though his mock-serious expression made Steve just want to kiss him senseless...when a pair of familiar boots tapping by his head made him pause.

"Wanna tell me why I'm locked outta my own fucking Jaeger?"

* * *

Tony's first instinct when Barnes stalked in was to ignore him, so that's what he did; he didn't get to enjoy Steve's laughter like that very often, and goddammit, it was his fucking anniversary. He deserved a little bit of time where he didn't have to deal with Bucky's bullshit attitude...

"Fuck off, Barnes, we're in the middle of a conversation."

"Oh yeah, practically fucking one another in the mess. That's just great, May, you okay with this?" Steve sighed and gently rolled Tony off, sitting up.

"She would have gotten on us, Bucky."

"Oh, I'm sure. Look, I want in the Shield. Now."

"Not happening, Barnes." Tony stood up, hands tucked in his back jean pockets, eyes narrowed dangerously. He helped Steve stand up and took a step forward, facing Bucky down, even though the other man was easily a good four, five inches taller. "Seriously, not fucking happening. I shut down the Shield myself; there's no one, not even Steve, who can turn it back on. Oh, and by the way? You fucking ripped out about twenty stitches in your best friend's back; he's still hurting, though he'll never once tell you that."

"Tony..."

"No, Steve, I'm done with him. He's done this again, and again, and again, and again. Pete, I'm sorry, but we're going to have to vacate early; I'll see you in the morning with your present from me and Jarvis. Barnes, you wanna get your clearance back? You get your damn ass up to Fury's office with Steve and I, and you explain just why the hell you were prying." You could have dropped a pin the room, the silence was so profound. Steve swallowed, watching as Tony stared Bucky down, and risked a glance at his best friend. He felt his heart plummet. Bucky's face looked to be set in stone, dark eyes stormy and dangerous. He didn't have to be mindlinked to know what Bucky was thinking right now.

_I will end you, Stark._

* * *

"Tony!" Tony swung around, his safety harness swiveling with him, and grinned, clapping a hand on Ben's shoulder and nodding to the Jaeger towering above them both. "You survived!"

"Fury took Barnes in solo, Steve and I went to sleep." Ben's eyes softened and the bigger man drew Tony into one of the safer areas, leaning against the wall. Ben Grimm had helped build the Shatterdome; some of the recruits said he helped build the world. Tony always laughed at that, but it was accurate; Ben was older than most of them by at least ten years, and his big, scarred hands and face could have been here to build the world around them, to keep the kaiju back, if you just imagined it hard enough. Tony smiled a little.

"Good, you deserved it. How's Steve holding up?" Tony sighed.

"...He's been better. He's also been a lot worse. He asked for some quiet time with Jarvis, so I went ahead and came to work so he could draw in peace." Ben sighed and nodded, glancing at the tablet in Tony's hands. "And the Shield's offline for now. I haven't heard anything from Fury, and I'm not greenlighting it until I do. So."

"So we focus on the others. Alright, fair enough. Want me to call Clint and Tasha down for the Hawk's upgrades?" Tony smiled softly and nodded.

"I'd appreciate that, thanks. Call on K-Sci, give them a break too. Peter should be enjoying his present right about now."

"Oh? What'd you two dorks give him?"

"A laptop."

"Holy shit, you do go all out, don't you? That's awesome!" Tony grinned and ducked his head, a faint blush rising on his cheeks.

"Aw, c'mon..."

"Don't aw, c'mon me, I know how difficult it is to build those damn things from scratch, and it's impossible to get one unless you're high-level LOCCENT. Tablets are cheap and easy; computers, not so much."

"I just built him a simple one."

"Still. Alright, I'll call Birdbrain out of his nest and get get them in drift."

"Thanks, Ben, I'll call Bruce." He grinned as Ben walked off, harness bouncing in his wake, and Tony took a long moment to look over the massive Jaeger Bay. It spanned the outer edge of the Shatterdome itself, facing the deep, frozen blue of the Pacific ocean. Even under the sounds off machinery and welding, the sound of the sea permeated. He used to hate it, back when he was younger and brasher and more like to just stay in New York...before the Breach. Jarvis and Steve both had teased him later, when he'd come to be comforted by it. He listened for a moment, the lullaby of the sea and the power of welders and cutters and drills around him. It was a song he'd loved for a long time, even during his stint as a pilot, one that had lured him back when nothing else could...He smiled to himself, just a touch, and rested his hand on the heavy steel beam that held up his catwalk.

"Hey, Bruce? Yeah, hey, wanna come down and take lunch with us? Bring Pete, kay? Yeah, we're running the diagnostics on the Hawk, wanna make sure that everything's alright...Yeah, no prob. See you in a few." He tapped the call off and shifted his tablet to the carrycase at his hip, taking in all the incredible work being done around him. There were a total of four main crews for the bay itself, led by himself, Ben, Thor, and Luke. He headed the main crew, with Ben, Thor, and Luke his seconds. He smiled as Luke directed the current crew over to their make-shift mess area; mostly just old pallets put together for tables and miscellaneous barrels for chairs, and orange and red clad crew all swarming about. May was dropping off her daily basket of amazing foods as usual, and he relaxed, the inner fear that his crew might be ignored, as always, assuaged.

"Tony! Come down and eat!" Who was he to ignore the lady? He laughed and hopped the railing, sliding down his harness like any of his crew.

* * *

"Steve?" He tried so hard not to flinch, so very hard, but he wasn't successful; Bucky's pause made him want to swear. He lifted his head and motioned for Bucky to come into the living room, sitting back from his make-shift drawing desk. "Look, Steve, I'm sorry..."

"I know you are, Bucky."

"...Why'd you tell Stark that?"

"...Because I can't keep secrets from Tony. He knew something was wrong, Bucky, and instead of nagging about me constantly, he waited until I finally caved. You're just damned lucky I didn't tell him it's been going on for the last three years."

"Look, things happen in the drift-"

"Those things DON'T!" Steve's hand slammed down and he twisted, blue eyes ablaze. "They DON'T, Bucky! Not even Jarvis and Tony did that! And they were all but brothers! And you...you..." He stood and paced, angry and hands fisted, arms swinging wide. "You fucking pried into my mother's death!"

"I couldn't remember what she died of!"

"And you couldn't ASK me?!" Bucky looked ashamed, and Steve just threw up his hands. "And then you fucking pried into my sex life, something that you made it very clear you didn't want any part of at the beginning of my fucking relationship. So I worked hard so that you didn't have to deal with any of my slips, worked hard so that my emotions didn't destroy the fucking link. And _what_ do you do, Buck? _You pried them open in the middle of a goddamned battle._ The same battle, by the way, that turned my back into something the cat dragged in, nearly gave Tony a heart attack, and pissed Loki off to the point where _I _got banned from piloting for three months!"

"I'm sorry..."

"Well, you know what? Sorry's not good enough!" Steve snarled, pushing Bucky suddenly, his rage spilling over as the pacing proved not to be enough. To his surprise, Bucky didn't retaliate; it wasn't like him to stand down to a fight. "Why, Bucky? Why the hell do you care all of a sudden? Because you sure as hell didn't when it all started! The only time you've ever even stopped to think about me was for a week after Jarvis died! And I've supported you through everything!"

"I know..."

"Oh, you know, you know everything, don't you? You know how often I waited on you in the drift, how many hits I took...how much I went through to be your damned co-pilot."

"...I'm so sorry, Steve."

"...I'll believe that eventually. Right now, I really don't want to see you. Just...please. Go away. I'll talk to you when I'm calmer." Bucky swallowed and nodded, and turned, slowly leaving.

"...For what it's worth, Steve...I never meant for you to get hurt. Ever. I...tell Tony I'm sorry, please. He's been good to you." As the door closed, Steve sighed, rubbing his neck.

"He's the best thing that ever happened to me..."

* * *

"Marshal?" Fury glanced up from his coffee, lone eye tired.

"Hill."

"Barnes is down in the barracks finally."

"Barton must have had fun."

"He lurks in the vents more than the dust bunnies do, sir. Now...Rogers is on medical leave for the time being, Barnes on administrative."

"Mmmhmm...How's Tony?"

"More annoyed at this point, but you know Stark. He's going over the Shield at the moment with a fine-toothed comb and the whole set of crews."

"Good. Now, to the matter of the other Marshals visiting." She shifted uncomfortably and he heaved a sigh, stretching and popping his shoulders. "This is gonna be a clusterfuck no matter how we look at it, but at least we can stand on our own feet."

"As opposed to the other coastal cities?"

"We've lasted the longest with the least amount of damage. We field four Jaegers, all with complete crews, our K-sciences division is the best in the world, and our legal and medical teams have our whole dome whipped. Really, I'm not that worried about our image."

"And when they meet our less than professional dome?"

"They'll probably swear us off forever. Small price to pay for autonomy."

"And if they with draw the funding?" At that, Nick grinned, wide and sharp and vicious, and gestured to his tablet screen."

"Maria, we haven't actually had to use the funding we've been given for the last three years. Tony's taken care of a few things, made us a completely closed system...and so when push comes to shove, we can actually keep operating. In spite of the politicians." She stared at the accounts, the figures in the eight plus digits.

"My god..."

"Tony Stark, actually. We've got the entire Stark fortune and his patents and royalties to fund us indefinitely. These accounts are the back ups."

"The Avengers can remain in the dome..."

"Safe and sound. No matter what...nothing short of a surge of kaiju is going to bring us down."

**R&R? How am I doing? Good, bad, ugly?**


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